With so many programs available online, how can your school stand out?

There has been a remarkable increase in the number of online Master of Engineering programs available.  It seems that almost every school that offers a Master of Engineering has extended that offering online.

Here at ENGINEERING.com, we’ve run dozens of higher education lead campaigns for online Masters programs.  

 

 

And here’s the thing.  Marketers recognize that admission candidates for online Masters can come from anywhere in the nation, or beyond.  Yet while marketers and program directors understand the opportunity, many of the schools lack a national or international brand. As a result, their education lead gen campaigns struggle because they are wooing an audience that doesn’t yet trust their brand.

 

Chasing a national audience without a national brand can
be expensive and frustrating.

 

We’ve conducted extensive persona research on Master of Engineering candidates.  Here are just a few of the Masters of Engineers I’ve interviewed and documented in our Education section:

         Travis Kasper         Rachel Kamish        Amy Jo Moore         Mark Baum  

What we found is that people apply to online Masters of Engineering programs at schools they know.  So if your school is more local or regional than national (and be honest with yourself) and you aspire to national or international admissions, then you have to spend some of your marketing budget on branding and awareness campaigns.

To generate applications from outside your geography,
make an investment in awareness advertising to
support lead generation.

Awareness marketing can take the form of banners, emails, sponsored posts, social media or traditional PR.  Done prior to or in conjunction with lead generation, an awareness campaign can help your school realize on the promise of a nation-wide pool of candidates for your Masters programs.  

 

John